


#28 - Fly With Me

by angelsandbrowncoats



Series: Eurovision 2017 Fanfic Challenge [16]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff, Multi, Weddings, not my best bc too much of it is told via memories, oh well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-11-02 14:53:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10946802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelsandbrowncoats/pseuds/angelsandbrowncoats
Summary: Grantaire tells the story of how Eponine and Cosette got together at their wedding.





	#28 - Fly With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry about the missing accent markers.

"Some of you seated here today are familiar with the story I'm about to tell. Many of you will not believe your ears. But rest assured, this tale is the utter and complete truth. I should know, I was there.

Three years ago, I met a girl while apartment hunting. Both of us were what one might call 'starving artists' so naturally we decided to look together. We soon realized we were enrolled in the same watercolors class, odd considering I'm a mural painter and she's a musician. Well, new experiences are a good thing, right? Well, for us, that was most certainly the case...

I entered the room, appearing more confident than I, well, _ever_ felt. I have a knack for that. Eponine was at my side, doing the exact same thing. Neither of us enjoy being insecure, so we just pretend we aren't. She marched over to the corner easel, and I, not knowing anyone else, followed.

Soon enough, the rest of the class had settled and the teacher began talking. Personally, I found the lesson interesting, but I could tell Eponine was only half listening. She was staring at the couple across from us - well, I assumed they were a couple from the way they interacted. Both very giggly.

Once the lecture part had ended and we began to plan our work, I leaned over and whispered, "See something you like?"

I must admit, getting watercolors thrown on one's shirt isn't that terrible, but the emotional pain... that was just too much for me.

In any case, she ignored me for about half of class before, out of the blue, she leaned over and whispered back, "I never told you why I was looking for a new apartment. I left because that man was my neighbor."

Now, obviously, I assumed she meant he was a creep or something, which was difficult to believe from looking at him. He seemed beyond harmless with his blushing and giggling and stuttering.

"Him? What'd he do?"

"It's not what he did so much as what he didn't do, to be cliche," she replied.

Ah, so she liked him, and he was with the pretty blond. I can't say I was surprised- I may not bat for that team, but I _am_ an artist and I notice when someone is that level of attractive. Now, Ep is too, not that I tend to tell her to her face, but she clearly felt like she wasn't competition against the blond and I'm always down for a pity party, so I invited her out for beers.

The class ended and I asked her if there was a place she'd prefer to go, and she pointed me in the direction of a lovely little place where she played on weekends. Apparently she got discounts, and both of us are cheap as shit.

Now that was a fateful night, if you believe in that sort of thing, because as luck would have it, the man, who I learned was named Marius, happened to be at the exact same establishment. From the sound of it, he was new in the area and some friends were showing him around. At this point in the story, I need to be informed what occurred after the fact, since I was entirely too distracted by a _different_ blond in the company of this strange stranger.

From what I understand, while I was busy sketching out the Greek god before me, Marius recognized Eponine and called her over. He introduced her to the little group, which included the blond girl, Cosette; her brother, Courfeyrac; _his_ totally-not-boyfriend, Combeferre; and their best friend, Enjolras (my blond, if y'ain't figured that out yet).

Then comes the part that gets me every time. Cosette, recalling Eponine from the art class, asked her to come over and practice and critique each other. Apparently her adoptive father thought she needed some female influences in her life, considering she seemed to be surrounded by men. Eponine wanted to refuse on principle, but there's something about Cosette that makes people afraid to disappoint her. I would say she's too good for this world, too pure, but at least a quarter of the people in this sizeable ballroom have been decimated by her in Cards Against Humanity, so I think not. Sorry, Valjean, I know you didn't want to know that.

So Eponine gets herself roped into a study date with her crush's girlfriend. Just where a gal wants to be. I'm drinking myself into the void in the corner to avoid joining the group where I'd risk having to talk to Apollo. We're having a great night all around. Cosette extends the invitation to everyone, which means Ep, Courf, and Marius leave with her and I'm left in an even _worse_ position.

The next thing I know, I'm waking up on an unfamiliar couch (which I can unashamedly claim was neither the first nor the last time I've done such a thing) with Apollo himself glaring down at me. Apparently I had passed out and the other fellow, Combeferre, figured it was wrong to simply leave me there and had insisted they bring me to their apartment.

But this isn't about me. This is about Eponine and Cosette.

Eponine found herself going through Cosette's art, amazed at the woman's grasp on colors. Each piece was totally appealing in its attention to detail, subtle pastels, and overall perfection. Eponine's art, by contrast, was bright and messy. Cosette found it to be significantly more emotional than her own pieces. So there they were, marveling at how great each other's art was. Two completely different people, brought together by mutual envy.

After that, their lives melded with alarming speed. About two months in, I invited Eponine out for drinks (again), making sure to choose a place our newly expanded social circles were unfamiliar with. One of her old friends owned a bar on the riskier side of town, The North Faced. I asked her how she felt about spending so much time around Cosette, and by extension, Marius. In her state - somewhere between buzzed and tipsy, she admitted to me that things had changed, and not in the way one would expect.

"R," she said, "Marius is a nice boy, and all, but there is no way I'd be able to deal with his clumsiness for more than a week. I was mostly into him 'cause he was nice, anyway. But you know who is nice and sheer perfection?"

Well, yes, but that's probably not who she was talking about.

"Cosette."

"Let me get this straight," I began.

"Nothing straight about it, R."

"Uh huh. So you got a crush on your crush's girlfriend?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Jeez, woman, you don't appreciate the easy life, do you?"

Or so it seemed. See, not much more than a week after that, Cosette shows up at our place, looking kinda intense for someone who always exudes more peace than a capybara.

"I need to talk to Eponine."

"She's at the Musain," I informed her.

"Why? Is she meeting someone there?"

"No, she plays there. Apparently it pays alright."

"Will she be back soon?" Cosette asked.

"Not really. She tends to get encore requests on Saturdays. Do you want to leave a message?"

"No, I need to tell her in person. I guess it's not that far to walk."

"Did you walk here?"

"Courf dropped me off on the way to Ferre's, but I figured I'd walk home."

"I can give you a ride, if you like. I should probably get out more anyway. Brooding gets old after awhile."

She put up with my crap, too, bless her heart. We arrived at the Musain at precisely 9:18 where Ep was in the middle of her third or fourth song of the night. She tends to play with her eyes closed, so she didn't notice we'd arrived until the song trailed off.

Cosette, who always seemed so shy, marched right onto the stage and tugged Ep off to one side. After a quick discussion that I still don't know the contents of, Ep excused herself temporarily and headed out back with Cosette. _That_ conversation involved two different love confessions. One looked up to the other as someone who was free and who could help her break out of the safety of her current life. The other saw the first as someone who taught her that there was beauty and goodness in the world. It shouldn't be too difficult to know which is which.

A few years later, and here we all sit, celebrating that love and respect, as well as lamenting with Marius over just how bad his luck must be to have two gorgeous women in love with him and end up with neither. Sorry, bro.

Eponine is the best friend a guy like me could wish for - always ready with a cold beer or a kick in the ass, depending on what's needed. Cosette is a literal angel. I'm pretty sure both of them think the other is settling, but what they're missing is that they're just so far above the rest of us that it doesn't really matter.

To Eponine and Cosette, the most badass ladies the world has ever seen."


End file.
